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Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italian battleship Giulio Cesare
The Benito Mussolini's Italian battleship ''Giulio Cesare'' (Italian for Julius Caesar), motto Caesar Adest is a Benito Mussolini's Facist Italian Conte di Cavour class battleship that serves in Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italian Regia Marina Mediterranean Sea of the Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italian Regia Marina. It served first Kingdom of Italy in World War I and later Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italy in both World War II and later Cold War. Her keel was laid down on 24 June 1910 at Cantieri Italian Ansaldo company shipyard, Genoa. She was launched 15 October 1911, and construction was completed 14 May 1914. Giulio Cesare had no active missions during World War I. In 1923 she attacked the Greek island of Corfu, as a reaction against the killing of Italian representatives in Ioannina. She was later renovated. From 1928 to 1933 she was used as an artillery training ship, then went into the yards for extensive modernization. Between 1933 and 1937 she was completely rebuilt, changing her silhouette and increasing her combat capabilities. Length was increased by 10.3 meters, and she was given new armored decks and new propulsion machinery that uprated her to 93,000 horsepower (69 MW), and allowed a speed of 28 knots (52 km/h). Her main armament of nine 305/46 mm guns in triple turrets were also removed and larger and more powerful weapons replaced them; nine 320/50 mm guns in triple turrets. Even her superstructure were enlarged and modernized. During World War II, at Battle of Punta Stilo on 9 July 1940, Giulio Cesare was hit by a 15 inch (381 mm) shell as HMS Warspite (1913) set the record for naval gunnery against a moving target at well over 24,000 meters (26,000 yards). Shortly before, a Cesare's 320 mm salvo aimed at HMS Warspite had straddled two British destroyers, HMS Hereward and HMS Decoy (H75), causing some splinter damage on both of them. On 17 November 1940, Giulio Cesare took part of a naval force which sailed to intercept Operation White, a British attempt to transfer fighter aircraft to Malta; seven pilots and nine warplanes were lost when the Italian Navy presence forced a premature take-off from the aircraft carrier HMS Argus (I49). She was later assigned to covering convoys, participating in the First Battle of Sirte, until 1942, when she was sidelined because of fuel shortages. In 1948, Giulio Cesare was repaired and were later once again reclassed as a artillery training ship. During the 1950s and the breakout of the Cold War, Giulio Cesare was classed as a battleship again in 1951 and sent to the Cantieri Italian Ansaldo shipyard for another extensive modernization to also be reconstructed when the Soviet Union, the nearest superpower, put the powerful and bigger Soviet battleship Arkhangelsk, Soviet battleship Novorossiysk and one battlecruiser of the Stalingrad class battlecruiser in the Black Sea Fleet. This time, her enlarged were very enlarged from 186,4 meters to 270 meters, her main armament of 320/50 mm guns in triple turrets were replaced with the more heavier 460 mm (16 inch) (45 caliber) guns in three triple turrets and a new weapon system were installed; two missile launchers for launch of V-1 and V-2 superweapons to take out aircraft carriers, and new propulsion machinery were updated to 150,000 horsepower and her speed increasing to 33 knots (61 km/h). A second superstructure were constructed and her main superstructure was also enlarged. This made Giulio Cesare to one of the most powerful battleships in the Mediterranean Sea and Benito Mussolini's Fascist Italian Regia Marina. She could now meet the powerful Soviet battleships and the battlecruiser in the Soviet Black Sea Fleet. World War I and interwar years World War II Activity after Punta Stilo Post-World War II years and Cold War Category:Italian battleships of Benito Mussolini's Italian Regia Marina